Love letters from Ana: An ode to Fall Break

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. I’m not talking about winter break. I’m speaking of fall break. It is the most understated little break from the academic year that we get as Lafayette students, and yet this short and mighty recess may just be the best one we get. Usually my columns begin with a few questions that I explore throughout the piece, but I’m going to make the bold statement that in fact, this break is the most necessary of them all. Here are my top five reasons for writing a love letter to Fall Break:

For the student who is done with midterms…

If fall break hits and you are finished with your midterms exams and papers, well you’re one of the lucky ones. You get to pat yourself on the pack and take a breather. Go home or don’t, either way, you get around 4-5 days of nothing to do. You actually get to celebrate finishing up your exams, crack open a beer or two and let your mind rest.

For the student who is not done with midterms…

So you caught a tough break, but perhaps not. You get the opportunity to study or work on papers during a time where you don’t have to go to class, you don’t have to go to meetings, you don’t even have to even respond to emails. You may get to study for your exams from the comfort of your bed at home with your mom coming in with trays of study snacks and grandpa sneaking an extra $10 in your pocket saying, “When this is all over, have a drink on me.” You get to come back to school, confident in your exam because of your ample study time (you hopefully used), refreshed from the break and ready to go.

The break is short—so you make the most of your time.

Because fall break is so short, you will find yourself on the phone with friends and family in the weeks prior, making plans of your homecoming. My parents coordinated a hiking trip, extended family dinner and two museum trips this break, which is more than we’ve done the whole summer off. You find yourself trying to cram to see everyone you can over this Columbus Day weekend because you don’t have weeks on end to plan. We all have that friend we promise to see over summer break and interim and never do. Well, now that you have time, you have to see them.

The break is short—visit your friends at college.

This break is the perfect time to visit your friends from home at their colleges because they may not be able to leave to come home and have a great long weekend to party. This way you get the best taste of the social lives at other schools and you get to make your friend happy. This especially works if you’re a long ways from home and have friends at east coast schools.

The break is short—mom and dad won’t make you mad.

Ever realize that your family is especially nice to you in the days leading up to fall break and during the break? It’s because the break is short. Their time with you is fleeting. They don’t want to fight. So, don’t make your bed, I’m sure you won’t hear about it. Enjoy the time you have at home. It’s the quick breather we all need to reset. Family knows this too. Hopefully all will let you be. Happy fall break everyone.